Kirk Versus Spock
by haveyouseenmyhaggis
Summary: The intergalactic battle between Team Jim and Team Spock is fought out here on. Read the arguements and make up your mind who's side you're on, leave a review with your arguement and you might be quoted in the follow up.


**Title: Kirk Versus Spock**

**Summary: The intergalactic battle between Team Jim and Team Spock is fought out here on . Read the arguements and make up your mind who's side you're on.**

**Author's Note: Okay, so this isn't the usual sort of thing you find on FanFic. These two "essays" were written by none other than CarlyTenibad (who is totally awesome and you should read her stories) and myself. The point of this is for you guys to read what we wrote, review with your opinion and we'll write our response arguement sometime in the near future. We'll give it a week or so to give as many people as possible time to review and if your point is good enough, it'll be mentioned in the follow up. You might want to note that neither of us actually hate either Spock or Jim as much as it might sound like it. Flamers will be laughed at. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this!**

**Disclaimer: Neither myself, or CarlyTenibad own ****_Star Trek 2009. _****Just pretty posters.**

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**Team Jim, by haveyouseenmyhaggis**

There are many reasons why James Tiberius Kirk is firstly insanely awesome and secondly, is better than Commander Spock and this essay will highlight those points so that anyone who is firmly on Team Spock and who denies that Jim is just made of awesome will be faced with undeniable evidence to prove this statement.

Firstly, he is a very strong minded and determined character. Many people would have given up trying to fight if they'd been faced with the problems Jim was during the incident with the Romulans. Some people would call his forcibly making himself heard on the Bridge a disrespect for authority but in reality this just highlights his determination. He wanted to save the lives of the people on board the _Enterprise _and would stop at nothing to make sure this was successful. Even when Commander Spock marooned him on the ice planet Delta Vega, he still did not give up – he went to find the Star Fleet outpost while informing Star Fleet about the Spock's breaking of the rules in abandoning him. In so doing, he managed to rescue Engineer Scott, and with help from Spock Prime beamed back onto the ship to try and save everyone again from Spock's plan to regroup – which would have undoubtedly failed to save Earth in time.

Secondly he has done very well in Star Fleet after facing so many difficulties in his life and here he strove to be the best. It is implied that he did not have a strong support network behind him as he grew up, like Spock did. Jim's father died the day he was born, his mother it seems was often off planet leaving him with his step-father, Frank who does not appear to be the nicest of characters. When Jim meets Captain Pike his intelligence is highlighted here. When dared to join Star Fleet, Jim but strove to do he best he possibly could – aiming to complete the course in three years rather than four.

His determination to pass the Kobayashi Maru exam was outstanding and his resourcefulness was emphasised in doing this. The retaking of the exams is also an example of his desire not to fail. Perhaps again this is an attempt to prove himself and escape the expectations placed on him to live up to what his father had done before him. Jim is a very hard worker and is resolute to avoid failure. Where logic and reason appears to come easy to Spock but for Jim, he has to try harder – as most humans do.

Also, where Spock sees Jim denying fear simply because he doesn't want to accept it, I see it as Jim following a very strong motto learnt from his father – "I don't believe in no win scenarios". This attitude allows Jim to carry out his job, whatever that may be, to the best of his ability by not allowing himself to be overcome by fear. Spock argues that a Captain needs to accept fear because it is a vital part of leadership, and I believe Jim accepts this but knows himself well enough not to let himself become afraid. There are some people who, once they let fear in, would have difficulty remaining in control but Jim's admirable ability to keep cool and controlled in the face of danger and find a solution, however improbably that may be, sets him apart from others.

Another thing that makes Jim Kirk a fantastic character is the fact that he has incredible faith in his decisions. Some people might doubt their abilities when put under pressure but Jim is resolute and certain that his plan will succeed – even when faced with Spock's calculations of the success rate. As a result of Jim's faith in himself and Spock, the plan succeeded and Earth was saved. His faith in other people also makes him someone to be respected. He managed to lay aside his differences with Spock and work together as a team in order to succeed.

So in conclusion, there are many reasons why James Tiberius Kirk is a fabulous, powerful and all round awesome character in _Star Trek _– more so than Commander Spock. These reasons range from his fierce determination to succeed in whatever he tries to do, his strong will power, and the way he's come through so much trials and tribulations a strong and admirable character. So as a result, Jim is better than Spock.

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**Team Spock, by CarlyTenibad**

Spock is a well known character in the series Star Trek, the main focus of my argument is going to be from the 2009 film. Spock is a half-human, half-Vulcan, young man. As a Vulcan he is taught to show no emotion, but as a half-human he finds this harder than most Vulcans.

Spock, like all Vulcans, tries to work from logic rather than through guesswork or chance or through emotion. This means that Spock will think through a plan to make sure it is sound and flawless before acting on it. In contrast to this Kirk is known for his rash actions which aren't thought through at all. An example of this is shown when Spock is acting captain of the star ship _Enterprise _and Kirk tries to change what Spock has planned. Spock has thought through what they need to do and how to initiate it, however, Kirk insisted that they change they cause for Earth. While Kirk ended up being correct and able to sort everything out, it could quite easily have been that this had got the other way and the _Enterprise _and all her crew could've been put in danger.

Spock was given a chance to enter the Vulcan academy, however when put to him he made the decision to reject this offer and join Starfleet instead. While he may have only made this decision for definite at the last minute, by applying for Starfleet in the first place, it shows he wanted that option to be there. He turned against Vulcan to join Starfleet in a thought out decision. Kirk on the other hand never considered Starfleet until approached by Captain Pike and even then he rejected the offer until the last minute. This shows Kirk to be rash and thoughtless, while Spock plans ahead.

The character of Spock is famously known to be played by Leonard Nimoy, while Kirk is known as William Shatner. However, as this argument is focused on Star Trek: 2009 I am looking at Spock being played by Zachary Quinto and Kirk being played by Chris Pine. From this it's easy to establish who the better known actor is. While Pine appeared in films such as _The Princess Diaries, _this was not as well known or popular as the series of _Heroes, _in which Quinto played the infamous Sylar. This shows that the audience that would recognise Spock would be higher than the audience recognising Kirk. Another point I wish to make regarding the actors is that Quinto has a habit of looking amazingly gorgeous in any state, even an emotionless state. Pine however, looks somewhat violent and off-putting when in the bloodied state he often finds himself in as Kirk.

This leads me on to another fact. While Spock does use violence it is only ever at times of extreme emotion - when he is pushed to the edge - as much as possible he tries to avoid it, to live logically and avoid danger in general. Kirk on the other hand seems the revel in violence. At one point before he joins Starfleet he is caught up in a bar fight and when it is pointed out that he is outnumbered 4 to 1 he says "_Then get some more men and it'll be a fair fight_". This utterance suggests that Kirk believes that not only could he take on those four men, he could take on _more _than that. This shows Kirk is an arrogant and reckless character. Kirk also seems to be attracted to danger; as a child he steals his uncle's car and nearly gets himself killed as it crashes over a canyon. And as far as we know Spock didn't have any such illogical near-death experiences as a child.

At various points in the movie Kirk does what he believes is right while taking little or no notice of what anyone else - including his higher officers - thinks. He acts independently much of the time, acting even when he has been told not to or when no-one is beside him on it. In contrast, again, Spock more often than not takes the correct actions and works alongside the other members of the team to make it successful, whether 'it' is the mission as a whole or just a small part of it. While this shows that Kirk thinks a lot for himself, it shows that he's not in the habit of listening to his senior officers, and knowing his place, both of which are necessities when working on a starship.

As is shown by the argument above Spock is clearly the better of the two characters for a number of reasons not least his work of logic rather than emotion. Truly Kirk's biggest downfall is that he is a bit too human.


End file.
